Overview
- Tepco’s president said Unit 6 at Kashiwazaki‑Kariwa is slated to begin restart operations on January 20, the company’s first nuclear return since Fukushima.
- The Niigata prefectural assembly approved Governor Hideyo Hanazumi’s authorization, clearing the local political hurdle for restarting the complex.
- Operational resumption still requires inspections and sign‑off by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority under post‑Fukushima rules.
- Kashiwazaki‑Kariwa is the world’s largest nuclear plant at about 8.2 gigawatts, and Japan has already restarted 14 of 33 operable reactors to curb fuel imports.
- Protests in Niigata underscored persistent public mistrust of Tepco even as the national government backs nuclear power to bolster energy security.